Economist Podcasts The Economist
-
- News
-
Every weekday our global network of correspondents makes sense of the stories beneath the headlines. We bring you surprising trends and tales from around the world, current affairs, business and finance — as well as science and technology.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
-
Babbage: Teens and their screens
Ever since there have been smartphones and social media, there have been concerns about how they might be affecting children. Over the past decade, doctors have seen a decline in mental health in the young in much of the rich world. But whether that rise can be attributed to technology is still a matter of fierce debate. Nevertheless, demands are growing to proactively restrict teenagers’ access to phones and social media, just in case. How concerned should parents and teachers be? Or is this just another moral panic?
Host: Alok Jha, The Economist’s science and technology editor. Contributors: Tom Wainwright, The Economist's technology and media editor; Clare Fernyhough, co-founder of Smartphone Free Childhood; Carol Vidal of Johns Hopkins University; Pete Etchells, a psychologist at Bath Spa University and the author of “Unlocked: The Real Science of Screen Time”.
Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to Economist Podcasts+
For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. -
The Intelligence: Going back to raid school
A dramatic overnight raid in New York City was just one sign that protests at American universities are set to continue—a clear historical echo in an already-fraught election year. We ask why a niche newspaper run by Japan’s communist party has so much influence (13:05). And a study of new books on loneliness reveals both the benefits and drawbacks of solitude (20:39).
Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to Economist Podcasts+. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. -
The Intelligence: Dengue’s grip on Latin America
The dengue-fever case counts now break regional records every year—and the structural reasons behind the spike suggest this sometimes-deadly virus will soon threaten more of the world. Breaches and security holes keep revealing how much of the internet’s innards are maintained by volunteers; we ask why (09:45). And the case for moving over, not up, at work (17:10).
Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to Economist Podcasts+. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. -
Drum Tower: The ideal family
China faces a demographic crisis. Its birth rate has halved over the last ten years. When asked about their ideal family size, many young women say they want one child or no children at all.
David Rennie, The Economist’s Beijing bureau chief, and Alice Su, our senior China correspondent, consider the lingering effects of the one-child policy. Eight years after it ended, how does the policy affect how Chinese people imagine the ideal family size?
Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to Economist Podcasts+
For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account. -
The Intelligence: A civil society in waiting
The ruling military junta that seized power in a coup in 2021 is losing ground, slowly—and the rebels are now thinking about what happens if they win. We examine the structural reasons behind Britain’s dearth of industrial robots (10:22). And climate change boosts Canada’s yields of maple syrup, but also threatens to make them unpredictable (15:44).
Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to Economist Podcasts+. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. -
The Weekend Intelligence: Deaths in the forest
During covid-19 an evangelical, end-of-times preacher led thousands of his followers into the Kenyan forest. Then he persuaded them to starve themselves to death. A year after hundreds of bodies were first discovered, journalist Carey Baraka tells the Weekend Intelligence what happened.
Customer Reviews
Favorite podcast
I have been listening on the economists podcast since 2010. It is my favorite source of business news ever since.
Jason Palmer
Quality reporting. Interesting and relevant. Mr. Palmer and has a voice like butter. Anne McElvoy is wonderful. Thankful for all the high-quality journalists at The Economist.
Excellent yet lately lacking in nuance
The Economist has been a guiding star of reason throughout my life. I still rank them as one of the most reliable and balanced sources of news and opinion but lately I have felt somewhat let down with their ability to paint both sides of the picture.
On several topics I follow from a variety of different sources I feel they could do a better job at not shying away from uncomfortable truths or raising counter arguments to the established narrative. They have to some extent succumbed to a form of “wokeness light” if you will. They have the intelectual brain power to dissect difficult topics with reason and should exercise that ability without fear.
I would actually rank them as a four but I figured a lower rating would be more likely to jump though their review revision algorithm and it doesn’t hurt to fee you have some catching up to do.